Portable electronic devices, such as iPad®s, tablet computers, cell phones, and the like are frequently utilized in a number of different environments and industries for facilitating communication and access to information. In the medical industry, portable electronic devices are increasingly utilized by medical professionals during triage, patient examination, and/or throughout the execution of medical procedures.
It will be appreciated that maintaining sterility and/or cleanliness in the medical industry is important in preventing the spread of communicable diseases, infection, pathogens, and the like. By way of example, medical procedures are typically performed in a sterile environment utilizing aseptically-packaged tools and materials in order to prevent inadvertent ingress of contaminants which could otherwise harm the patient or others. Further, it will be appreciated that minimizing transfer of contaminants is also important after a medical procedure has taken place in order to prevent inadvertent spread of contaminants which could otherwise harm others, such as where a medical professional has treated a highly-contagious patient.
Thus, in order to prevent transmission of contaminants, great care is taken to properly decontaminate reusable tools and equipment used in connection with treating a patient. To that end, various decontamination steps and procedures known in the art are utilized, such as manual washing, automatic washing with thermal disinfectant, steam sterilization (such as a pressurized chamber high-temperature steam autoclave), low-temperature sterilization (such as “Sterrad®”), point of contact chemical disinfection, application of disinfecting wipes and chemicals, and the like. These decontamination procedures are largely incompatible with conventional portable electronic devices, which are typically designed for general consumer use.
By way of example, portable electronic devices are often manufactured from materials that are incompatible with medical-grade cleaning and/or disinfectant agents. Further, portable electronic devices frequently include one or more connection ports that are open to the environment and cannot be exposed to liquids without causing irreversible damage. Similarly, while various shields, cases, and covers for portable electronic devices are known in the art, many are specifically designed for consumer use and are incompatible with one or more of the decontamination procedures described above, such as because of the presence of disadvantageous gaps or crevices, and may be expensive, difficult to use, or may otherwise restrict functionality of the portable electronic device in use.
For the foregoing reasons, there remains a need in the art for a sterilizable enclosure which prevents ingress and egress of contaminants to and from a secured portable electronic device and which strikes a substantial balance between usability, functionality, and manufacturing cost while, at the same time, affording compatibility with decontamination procedures commonly utilized in the medical industry.